Box Score

DUDLEY, Mass. - Senior Amanda Broughton (Plymouth, Mass.) registered her first-career hat trick and classmate Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) scored her first two collegiate goals as the Nichols College field hockey team registered an 8-2 win over Western New England Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Vendetti Field.

Junior Andrea Wilson (New Bedford, N.H.) added a goal and an assist while freshman Taylor Robolm (North Easton, Mass.) notched her first collegiate goal as the Bison (6-10, 6-4 CCC) ran their win streak to four. The Bison can secure a playoff berth on Saturday with either a win on Saturday at first-place UNE or a Salve Regina win over Endicott.

Broughton scored her sixth and seventh goals of the season in the opening 4:14 of the contest to stake her team to an early two-goal lead. Junior Avery Orszulak's (Springfield, Mass.) team-leading 12th marker of the season at 8:22 off a feed from Wilson made it 3-0, and Wilson's sixth goal at 10:56 pushed the lead to 4-0. Broughton then capped off her hat trick with an unassisted tally at 15:53.

Robolm knocked in a long pass from classmate Jacqueline O'Connor (Palmer, Mass.) at 29:04 of the first half before Watkins scored an unassisted goal 1:29 later to stretch the Nichols' lead to 6-0.

Western New England got on the board in the second half on senior Jayne Mueller's (Colorado Springs, Colo.) fifth goal of the season at 40:46. Watkins answered with her second of the night at 62:35 as she put home a rebound off a long shot from Orszulak. Senior Alissa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) capped the scoring with her fourth of 2013 with less than a minute remaining for WNE.

The Bison outshot the Golden Bears 30-8 – including 23-1 in the first half – and held them without a shot through the first 19 minutes of the contest. Junior Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) made one save in 27:22 of action to earn the win and move to 6-10 on the season. Freshman Jessica Hale (Westfield, Mass.) recorded seven saves in defeat.

Junior Lindsey Rappazzo (Mashpee, Mass.) and sophomore Meghan Dombkowski (Sapagonack, N.Y.) each picked up an assist for Nichols. Junior Emily Mercure (Milton, Vt.) and freshmen Carmen Garcia (West Springfield Mass.) each saw time in goal for the Bison and recorded one save apiece.

Nichols contest with the Nor'easters Saturday begins at 1 p.m. Western New England travels to Bristol, R.I. for a 6 p.m. contest at Roger Williams on Friday.